Typewriting-machine



H. BATES TYPEWRITING MACHINE.

APPLlCATION FILED JULY 2.1919.

Patented Mar. 8, 1921.

- vices.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY BATES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR T0 UNDERWOOD TYPEWRITER .PANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

COM-

TYPEWRITING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 8, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, HARRY BATES, a citizen of the United States, residing in New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Typewriting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to typewriting machines, and more especially to what are sometimes known as word-centering de- The invention is herein described as applied to an Underwood typewriting machine, naled in the traveling carriage. In my copending application, Serial No. 282,891, filed March 15, 1919 (Patent No. 1,350,000, dated August 17, 1920), I have shown a typewriter carriage provided with the usual pointer to indicate the position of the'carriage, and I have shown an extra centering pointer which is adapted to be shifted by manipulating the lever or counting mechanism so that the centering pointer, by a series of operations of the lever, may be shifted along the carriage. This will enable the pointer to indicate, upon the usual scale-plate, the point at which the writing is to be begun if the center of the writing is to fall at the point indicated by the usual pointer.

According to the present invention, the centerin device may include a casing within whicl i is concealed the mechanism for moving the pointer.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

' In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective, showing the device applied to an Underwood typewriting machine.

Fig. 2 is a front view, on a larger scale, with the front coverlate removed.

Fig. 3 is a view 0 part of Fig. 2, showing the lever depressed in the act of moving the pointer.

Fig. 4. is a sectional side view of the lever, the rack on which the pointer travels, and the intervening parts.

Fig. 5 is a plan view, showing the pointer casing positioned agaihst the lug.

Fig. 6 is a dissecte perspective view of the casing in which the pointer is mounted.

In the usual Underwood typewriting machine, the revoluble platen 10 is journaled in a frame 11 in the carriage 12, which travin which the revoluble platen is jourels from right to left. Whenever a character-key 13 is depressed it carries down its key-lever 14 to swin its type-bar 15 up wardly and rearwardl y, so that the type 16 thereon will print upon a work-sheet 17, passed around the platen. The type prints upon the inserted work-sheet at a point in the travel of the carriage, indicated by the usual carriage-pointer 18 upon the usual scale-plate 19 at the front of the machine frame, and in printing feeds along the carriage by the usual escapement wheel 20, which the actuated type controls by the usual dogs 21, said dogs, in turn, being operated by the universal bar 22, which the usual heel 23 upon the type-bar 15 strikes as it aproaches the platen 10.

The machine is also provided with the usual right and left-hand margin-stops, which serve to limit the travel of the carriage in either direction, and have attached to them pointers 24 and 25, overlying the scaleplate 10.

To center any line of writing, a centering pointer 26 may be positioned by the character-counter 27. The character-counter comprises the lever 28 pivoted within the casing or mounting 29 of the counter, which, when depressed, is adapted to advance the pointer 26 along the rack bar 30 fast to the front bar 31 of the typewriter carriage. The teeth of the rack 30 are spaced on centers at half the letter-space divisions on the scale 19 and the connections, later to be described, are such that each depression of the. lever 28 advances the pointer 26 half a letterspace. Before beginning the counting, pointers 18 and 26 should coincide. When the total number of letter-spaces in the desired line are counted off on the lever 28, the pointer 26 will have advanced half' the letter-space travel on the typewriter carriage needed for writing the desired line. has much as the pointer travels to the right, it will indicate upon the scale 19 the letter space to which the carriage should be set to center the line of writing at the point where the centering pointer 1s standing at the moment.

The connections whereby the lever moves the pointer 26 along the rack include the pawl 32 pivoted upon the extension 33 of the lever 28 and the ratchet wheel 34; journaled on a transverse shaft 35 which forms the pivot of the lever 28. The ratchet wheel 34 constitutes a pinion constantly in along the rack 30 easily and ;yet be held in' upright position, it is provided with a thin leaf-spring 39 which underlies the rack and is fastened in any Suitable manner, as by soldering to the U-frame. The pointer 26 .has a long arm 40 which connects it to an extension 41 having an ear 42 fast to the U-frame. The-shaft 38 may have provided upon its end an enlarged head 43 lying outside the face of the lever 28, thereby giving it steadiness. To hold the shaft in place, it may be provided with another head 44.

For returning the lever 28 to the normal position seen in Fig. 2, in which the flat turned-over end 45 of the extension 33 rests upon the top of the rack 30, there is prov1ded a returning spring 46 anchored to the extension 33 and the U-frame 36.

- In order to arrest the lever 28 when it has given the proper throw to the wheel 34, there is provided a second flat turned-up end 47 on the opposite end of the lever 28, also adapted to strike upon the rack 30. The pawl 32 is normally under the tension of a 'ght spring 48 anchored in a pin 49 on extension 33 and tending to move it into the teeth of the wheel 34. In its normal Fig. 2

position, however, the lever 28 holds the ".pawl 32 clear of the ratchet wheel because a lug 50 fast on the U-frame underlies a pin 51 upon the pawl and holds it clear of the ratchet wheel. This permits the typist to movethe pointer26 to the left if desired by pushing upon a finger-piece 51 formed as a turned-up ear of the extension 41.

The rack bar 30 is held in the casing 29 by screws 52 threaded in the lugs 53, which are fast in'the corners of the casing near its bottom plate. When therack bar 30 is in place with the pointer 26 mounted upon it, the cover-plate 54 may-cover the front .of the casing. and be held in place by screws 55, threaded in the openings in lugs 56. The casing is cut away at the top to form an opening. 57 through which the lever may proiect.'the opening being long enough to permit sufiicient travel of the lever 28. The pointer projects through a similar opening at 58 at the bottom of the plate 54 and is of length to permit a simitervals of the typewriter, and a handle for adapted to fit over and engage under the usual rib 60 on the front bar 31. When the casing is slipped upon the front bar 31 by the lugs 59, it may be accurately centered 1 by merely pushing the end of it against the usual lug 61 upon which the pointer 18 is mounted. V

In order to hold the casing 29 securely in its position, a locking arm 62 may be pivoted at 63 on the back thereof, near the top, and may be provided with a resilient end having a bent-over portion 64 adapted to engage fill the usual vertical rib 65 on the front bar 31. This provides a device adapted to be attached by any ordinary typist tothe typewriting machine without adjustment and without marring the machine.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: Y

1. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a typewriter carriage and a scale plate, of a casing adapted to be attached to the carriage, a rack within said casing, a pinion traveling upon said rack, a pointer traveling with said pinion, a handle projecting from the casing and having a limited movement, means operable by said han dle in each of its movements to actuate said pinion to advance said pointer a half scale indication, and means for normally making said handle ineffective on the pinion.

2. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a carriage having a front bar, of a pointer having a mounting, lugs upon said mounting adapted to engage said front bar, and a resilient member upon said mounting adapted to engage the rear side of said bar to detachably hold said pointer I 4. In a typewriting machine, the combi-- nation with a carriage having a front bar, of a pointer having a mounting, lugs upon said mounting adapted to engage said front bar, a resilient member upon said mounting adapted to engage the rear side of said bar to detachably hold said, pointer upon the bar, a lever within the mounting for moving said pointer at half the letter-space inactuating said lever and projecting through an opening in said mounting, said mounting 5. In a typewriting machine, the combi- I nation with a traveling carriage avmg 9. lug and a revoluble platen, of a letter-spaoe scale, a fixed pointer upon the carriage to indicate letter spaces upon the scale, a second pointer upon the carriage to indicate upon said scale, a mounting for said second pointer adapted to fit against said lug, a lug upon said mounting to catch upon the carriage, and a resilient member adapted to engage elsewhere upon the carriage to hold the mounting in position.

6. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a traveling carriage having a lug and a revoluble platen, of a letter-space scale, a fixed pointer upon the carriage to indicate letter-spaces upon the scale, a second pointer upon the carriage to indicate upon said scale, a mounting for said second pointer adapted to fit against said lug, a lug upon said mounting to catch upon the carriage, a resilient member adapted to engage elsewhere upon the carriage, to hold the mounting in position, and means for moving said second pointer in half letterspace distances. 1

7. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a typewriter frame and a traveling carriage, of a revoluble platen, a scale on the frame, a pointer upon the carriage adapted to normally occupy one position upon the carriage, a device for moving said pointer step by step to another point on the carriage, a bar upon which said pointer moves, a front piece for said carriage, a lug upon said bar, and a catch pivoted to said bar adapted to be swung to engage the front piece to detachably fasten the bar to the front piece.

8. 1n a typewriting machine, the combination with a typewriter frame and a traveling carriage, of a revoluble platen, a scale on the frame, a pointer upon the carriage adapted to normally occupy one position upon the carriage, a device for moving said pointer step by step to another point on "the carriage, a bar upon which said pointer moves, a front piece for said carriage having a ledge, a pair of hooks upon said bar adapted to overlap and engage the ledge upon the front piece, and a catch pivoted to said bar adapted to be swung to enga the other side of the front piece to detach ably fasten the bar to the front piece.

9. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a typewriter frameand a letter-feeding carriage, of a letter-space scale on the frame, a casing on the carriage, a

pointer projecting from within to the outside of the casing and cooperating with the scale, mechanism concealed within the casing for moving the pointer half letter-space intervals, an operating handle for said mechanism projecting from within to the outside of the casing, and means for detachably holdin the casing upon the carriage.

11. n a typewriting machine, the combination with a typewrlter frame and a letter-feeding carriage, of a letter-space scale on the frame, a casing on the carriage, a pointer projecting from within to the outside of the casing and cooperating with the scale, mechanism concealed within the casing for moving the pointer half letter-space intervals, an operating handle for said mechanism projecting from within to the outside of the casing, and means including a releasable spring catch for detachably holdin the casing upon the carriage. A.

12. a typewriting machine having a frame and a letter-feeding carriage and a letter-space scale; said device comprising an inclosing casing, a pointer projecting from the inside to the outside ,of the casing to cooperate with the scale, mechanism concealed within the casing for moving the pointer half letterspa-ce intervals, an operating handle for said mechanism projecting from within to the outside of the casing, and means for detachably holding the casing upon the type writing machine. a

HARRY BATES. Witnesses:

CATHERINE A. NEWELL, EDITH B. LIBBEY.

detachable line-centering device for. 

